PUTRAJAYA, Dec 1 — Communication and Digital Minister Fahmi Fadzil has guaranteed that personal data protection and cyber security will always be under control in implementing the National Digital Identity or Digital ID programme.
He said the public need not worry about Digital ID's implementation, as it does not require recording biometric identifiers like users' fingerprints, facial recognition, and iris scans.
Digital ID registration is also easy, requiring only the user’s MyKad and fingerprint scanning for verification, similar to the procedures for banking transactions.
Users only need to download the 'MyDigital ID' app and scan the QR code, and their MyDigital ID will be created on their mobile phones.
“So, there is no need to record (fingerprints), implant a chip (in the body), or take facial scans. No need to get all imaginative,” Fahmi said to the press after registering for his Digital ID before attending today's Cabinet meeting.
Digital ID provides access to public services, including assistance programmes, and all government applications in the future will use a single login through MyDigital ID.
“This means that with MyDigital ID, when we open the MyJPJ (Road Transport Department) app, or MyJalan, or even the (MyTax) app by IRB (Inland Revenue Board), we do not need to remember passwords, everything will need a single log-in.
“That is actually the biggest benefit when we use MyDigital ID; it is faster, both on the government side and for any party wanting to use MyDigital ID.
"There are savings because there will be no need to build what is referred to as the e-KYC (electronic know your customer) database component. Everything will refer to the National Registration Department,” he added.
On the target users of Digital ID, Fahmi said the programme targets 1.6 million users for a start, mostly civil servants, as suggested by Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim.
On November 21, Anwar announced the government had appointed the national research and development centre Mimos Berhad as the implementing agency for the Digital ID programme with an initial RM80 million allocation.
Digital ID is a form of digital self-identification and authentication for individuals intended for public and private use to verify user identities during online transactions. Without replacing the MyKad system, Digital ID is a trusted and secure platform, streamlining online identity verification to prevent identity fraud in online transactions.
— Bernama
